An 18-year-old Springfield man who police say grabbed a steak knife and threatened to stab two women and two children was arrested Monday.

The man, Authello K. Austin of the 2000 block of Chatham Road, was shocked with a Taser twice before he was arrested, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office said. He could be charged with aggravated assault, home invasion, disorderly conduct and theft.

The incident started around 3 a.m. Monday in the 3300 block of East Carpenter Street.

The sheriff’s office gave the following account of what happened:

Austin showed up intoxicated at a mobile home and tried to take money. When two women at the mobile home confronted him, he got mad and began to throw objects.

After he was ushered outside, Austin forced his way back in, grabbed a steak knife and threatened to stab everyone, including two children.

Eventually, the women got out of the mobile home with the children and ran to the nearby manager’s mobile home.

Austin followed and banged on the door and windows and threatened to get a gun and kill everyone inside.

When a deputy arrived, a neighbor said Austin was drunk, acting crazy and was armed with a knife.

Austin was located on the front porch of a mobile home drinking a bottle of whiskey in one hand and had his other arm behind his back.

Austin refused multiple orders to show his hands and tossed the bottle on the ground and approached the deputy “aggressively,” keeping his arm concealed.

When Austin did not stop, the deputy deployed his Taser, knocking him to the ground. Austin was shocked a second time after he did not show his hands.

After the second shock, the deputy got closer to Austin and realized he was unconscious and called paramedics. Austin was taken to Memorial Medical Center before being booked into the Sangamon County Jail.

A pocket knife was found in his back pocket, the sheriff’s office said.

Information

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